The Vallarta Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program

Our Junior Sailing program is intended to expose children and adolescents of all nationalities in the area and their families to the enjoyment of sailing.  With multi-lingual, competent instructors administered by a Board sanctioned Junior Sailing Committee and assisted by the stewardship of the Yacht Club Staff and member volunteer adult leaders and Junior Sailing parents. The program’s objectives are the following:

• To teach seamanship, sailing and racing skills, in a safe and fun environment
• To enable students to acquire, through the overall experience of program activities, life-long values such as sportsmanship, consideration of others, teamwork and self-reliance, as well as a love and respect for the sea
• To teach young people how to sail to the best of their ability and interest, and to encourage growth in skill and competence through both individual and team participation
• To encourage the acquisition of competitive sailing skills in regattas and in races at VYC and other Regional, National and International events.

• The Opti 1 – Beginners  This program is for kids with little or no experience. The goal here is to foster confidence and understanding. The students need only to know how to swim as a prerequisite.  The class meets twice a week after school.
  The class covers:
  • Boating safety
  • Basic elements of the Opti
  • Rigging the Opti
  • Basic knot tying
  • Reading the wind
  • Points of sail
  • How to accelerate, slow and stop
  • How to sail out of the no-sail zone.       
• The Opti 2 - Intermediate  This program is for those students who have completed Opti 1 or have equivalent experience.  The class is six  meets twice a week after school. 
  The class covers:
  • A review of Opti 1 basics
  • Basic rules of navigation
  • Introduction to Olympic triangle course
  • Starts
  • How to go fast
  • Trim and balance
  • Capsizing and righting
  • Participating in a VYC Home Regatta with prizes
• The VYC Opti – Team  Those students who have excelled in Opti 2 can by invitation of the Director become a member of the Opti Team.  This is an ongoing course designed to further train and develop skills for regatta competition in both Mexico and North America.  VYC currently hosts Opti and Laser regattas here in Banderas Bay. The National Optimist Association has created a circuit of 4 major regattas each year. Laser sailors are invited to these events as well. Those who qualify at these events are invited to compete in events held internationally. Our team also competes for medals each year in the CONADE National Games.

• VYC Family Flag Members pay a monthly lesson fee of $2,800 pesos reduced by the amount of monthly dues they are paying. Each additional brother or sister is $2,500 pesos..
• Non-Members wishing to apply for VYC Flag Membership may choose to either pay the current Flag Initiation fee and immediately qualify for Flag Membership, or having paid the lesson fees for a period of at least six months, receive a waiver of the Flag Initiation Fee and subsequently qualify for Flag Membership.
  
  * It is the intent of the Vallarta Yacht Club that no child with a desire to learn to sail be denied the opportunity. The Club has various scholarship opportunities to help those with need to make the program cost affordable. Contact the director for more information.  

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

If you wish, you can help with our program in various ways:

• Outreach – if you know a young person whom you think would benefit from our Junior program, let he or she and their parents know about out Junior program and encourage them to contact us.
• Volunteer – If you have some spare time and wish to help on the water or with maintenance or administration please contact our Director, Bart Goodell.
• Donations – At least 50% of our Program reaches out to kids who would never have the opportunity to participate or experience the growth such a program affords. In order to make this happens we utilize donations. 
  We receive Donations for the Junior Program in a number of ways:

• Individual cash donations to fund scholarships, buy boats, equipment, and pay for student transportation and living cost for out of town Regattas.
• Make a friend and adopt a student by helping to cover the cost of a young persons program. Watch him or her grow through the program, share their victories and be a friend. It’s sort of a Sailing “Big Brother” Program.
• If you are a member of a service club, we can share the program with your membership at a meeting to solicit the clubs support. 

Thank you for your support!

Bart Goodell, Junior Sailing Director

If you are interested in finding out more about participating in this solid and growing program as either a student or volunteer leader, you may contact us in person at the Vallarta Yacht Club or by e-mail Vallarta Yacht Club. To make a donation to the Jr. Program, please visit our Payment Page